Various operating centers which employ complex electrical and/or electronics equipment have typically been constructed by first erecting a suitable structure for housing the electrical and electronics equipment at the industrial or commercial installation site. After the operating center is erected, the various cabinets, panels and other units which contain the electrical and electronics equipment are transported to the installation site and installed in the operating center. After the various cabinets, panels and other units are mounted properly, they are then inter-wired and interconnected with one another to form a complete set of control system equipment within the operating center. The control system equipment is thereafter tested to determine that all the proper interconnections have been made and that the equipment is operating as desired. Any necessary adjustments or calibrations of the equipment are made at this time.
Construction and other projects require electric power to be distributed to various tools and components. Once normal electric service is provided to a building and the electric wiring for the building is completed, providing electric power for tools and components is simple. But prior to the completion of the buildings' electric wiring and/or prior to the establishment of regular electric service, providing electric power to the construction site is more problematic. Several prior art devices have been developed to provide temporary power to users at a construction site or related location, some examples of which are provided by Power Temp Systems, Inc. out of Houston, Tex., www.powertemp.com.
During building or repair tasks at construction sites or other workplaces, it is often necessary to provide temporary electrical power for operating many lights, tools or other devices at the same time when permanent power distribution facilities have not yet been installed or are out of service because of damage or equipment failure. In some cases, the temporary power distribution apparatus must be carried through or used in a confined space that does not afford much room for the apparatus.
Systems are known for distributing AC or DC voltage and current to multiple loads from one or more sources on a power bus. The simplest form of such a system is a multiple connector box at the end of an extension power cord. A more complex system is a connector affixed to a printed circuit board via pins extending from the connector into receiving holes in the printed circuit board. Terminal blocks with isolated positive and negative rails from which voltage is carried to appliance loads via insulated multiple strand conductor wire is yet another example of a system for distributing AC or DC power.
Where insulated wire pairs are used, the connections are made by affixing terminals or lugs to the ends of the wires. Some terminal blocks provide studs on which the terminals can be secured using nuts, set screws and/or lock washers. Systems such as these have little or no provision for rapid disassembly or assembly. Electrical connectors and lugs typically employed in such settings are not suited for multiple installations, removals and re-installation.
In systems using terminal blocks, the task of affixing terminals to wires or terminals to the studs is time consuming and subject to defects if proper procedures such as, cleaning or clearing the contacts or studs of dirt, snow, ice, and corrosion followed by operations such as torquing nuts on studs, are not followed. If a technician is connecting a DC service from a lead acid battery or from another low impedance voltage source capable of driving multiple horsepower DC motor loads, or loads such as a heavy-duty arc welder, a mistake made by the technician in connecting the polarity of the electrical service can be catastrophic.
Conventional systems for connecting one or more sources to more than one load include those that have terminal blocks with leads to service the appliance loads, clips and electrical connectors, barrier strips, connectors with pins that preclude polarity errors, terminal blocks with terminal connectors that preclude improper orientation, devices for selectively interconnecting a series of connectors, extension cords, multiple outlet boxes, and power strips. However, none of those systems, either separately or in combination, offer an integrated system and components for rapidly and reliably connecting and disassembling, disconnecting and reconfiguring power to respective loads, and for servicing the power from one or more respective voltage sources. The electrical connectors are not versatile and often require specially designed lugs for proper installation. This often increases required inventory and makes the set-up and removal procedures more difficult.